Connecticut’s gas prices rising along with the temperature
Sweltering temperatures aren’t just spiking your electric bill — they’re also burning Connecticut residents at the gas pumps.
The heat wave that moved into Connecticut in the past few days has been baking the south for weeks now, shutting down oil refineries and causing gas prices to rise nationwide.
In Connecticut, gas prices have risen about 10 cents in just the last week, giving Helen Werns of Wallingford a bit of a shock as she went to fill up her 2019 Subaru Forester at a Mobil station on the Berlin Turnpike on Friday.
“It’s gone up a bit,” Werns said, adding that she drives a lot less since she retired and had noticed a jump since the last time she filled up.
Statewide, you would pay the most for gas on Friday in Fairfield and Windham counties, with Fairfield at the top at $3.732 per gallon and Windham at $3.728.
Werns was quick to
note that prices were much higher last summer: A year ago, the Connecticut
average was $4.356 a gallon for regular gas, part of a nationwide summer spike that saw average prices approach $5 per gallon in parts of the state in mid-June of 2022.
In addition to this year’s heat wave, recent moves by OPEC to cut supplies amid high summer demand have also hiked gas prices, said Alec Slatky, spokesperson for AAA Northeast.
“We’re seeing the impact of those cuts as well, bringing oil prices up. And unfortunately, that leads to higher prices at the pump for consumers,” Slatky said.
Connecticut is actually doing better than most of the country on gas price hikes — the national average increase in the past week was 14 cents a gallon compared to our 10-cent increase, Slatky said.
Slatky said demand was also up at AAA for road service amid high heat in the region this week.
Drivers should check their batteries and tires, filling them to the recommended levels for hotweather trips.
“Whenever this weather is super hot, it’s always a concern,” Slatky said.